Monthly Archives: December 2014

South Lanarkshire Trades Unions laid a wreath at the Beckford Street Memorial in Hamilton on Wednesday 3 December to mark 30 years since the Bhopal disaster and held a minute’s silence for those who have died and those who are still suffering.

Margaret Gallacher, South Lanarkshire UNISON Branch Chair, described the events of December 2nd, 1984, where a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, leaked a lethal gas methyl isocyanate. That night a few thousand people died, but to date 25,000 people have died since as a result of their exposure and over 120,000 people still suffer effects from the incident. None of the six safety systems designed to contain such a leak were operational. It should never have happened.

Victims and their families are still fighting for justice. But 30 years on and there is none.

Commenting on the result of UNISON’s political fund ballot, which saw 87% of members vote to maintain the fund in a postal ballot, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Our members have spoken loud and clear that they want UNISON to continue to promote their interests at European, national and local levels. This is in spite of the government’s cynical ‘gagging act’ that aims to reduce the lobbying power of trade unions while the Tories happily sit back and pocket millions from corporate and financial elites.

“UNISON campaigns hard to defend jobs and decent employment standards, to promote public services and equality, and to protect the health and safety of our members, and this is possible because of the political fund.”